Looking for a forest for sale in Haute-Corse first means choosing between several kinds of Corsican woodland. East of Corte, the Castagniccia takes its name from the chestnut trees planted on its slopes, around La Porta, Piedicroce and Morosaglia. To the north and west, Cap Corse, the Nebbio and the Balagne alternate maquis, holm oak and old olive groves taken over by scrub. In the centre, the Niolu, the Venachese and the Giussani hold the great laricio pine forests owned by the Collectivité de Corse. For a private buyer, what comes up for sale is therefore mainly chestnut groves, holm oak woods and wooded plots of a few hectares, listed here by private sellers, estate agents and notaires.
The data block that follows gives the prices observed in forest sales in the department, set against Corsican and national benchmarks. For the trend over several years, our article on forest prices in Corsica completes these figures. The rest of the page describes the stands, the properties actually on offer and the checks to make before signing, particularly on undivided ownership and the health of chestnut trees.
According to the ma-propriete.fr forest price observatory, built from sales recorded in the French DVF land registry database, the median price of a hectare of forest in Haute-Corse was €3,116/ha in 2025†, with an average of €5,306/ha, across 29 sales. Across 29 transactions, a handful of unusual sales is enough to move both median and average: these values are not truly representative of the local market and should be read against regional prices. In Corsica, the median reached €4,532/ha in 2025 across 63 sales, with an average of €6,418/ha; the national median was €4,936/ha. Over 2020-2025, the department recorded 144 sales at a median of €4,457/ha.
| Indicator | Haute-Corse (2B) | Corsica | France |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median price 2025 | €3,116/ha† | €4,532/ha | €4,936/ha |
| Average price 2025 | €5,306/ha† | €6,418/ha | €6,214/ha |
| Number of sales 2025 | 29 | 63 | 6,329 |
| Median price 2020-2025 | €4,457/ha | €4,866/ha | €4,778/ha |
| Number of sales 2020-2025 | 144 | 371 | 35,100 |
On the listings side, 59 forests and wooded properties are offered on ma-propriete.fr across France as of 2 October 2026, none in Corsica at that date. Their median asking price is €145,750 for a median size of about 17 ha. These asking prices apply to complete properties, often with buildings, a pond or hunting rights: they cannot be compared directly with DVF medians per hectare. To work out the full cost of a purchase, add the conveyancing fees with our notary fee calculator.
† 10 to 29 sales: sample too small to be representative of the local market. Source: DVF (French tax authority), processed by ma-propriete.fr; forests of 1 ha or more, cadastral type woodland; July 2020 to December 2025; Moselle, Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin are not covered by DVF. Listings recorded on ma-propriete.fr on 2 October 2026.
The best-known forests of Haute-Corse are public. Former state forests handed over to the Collectivité de Corse and managed by the Office national des forêts, they show what the Corsican mountains can grow. Valdu Niellu, in the commune of Albertacce, is one of the largest: laricio pine dominates, with green alder, beech and birch. At Vizzavona, in the commune of Vivario, laricio shares the high forest with beech above an understorey of holly. In the Giussani, Tartagine-Melaja combines maritime pine on the lower slopes with laricio higher up, while Bonifatu, above Calenzana, mixes maritime pine, holm oak and laricio.
On the west coast, the Fango valley, part of a biosphere reserve, shelters an extensive holm oak forest. Private woodland, by contrast, consists of chestnut groves and coppice. In the Castagniccia, the “bread tree” brought prosperity to the villages in the 18th century; depopulation in the 20th century left orchards abandoned, overrun by suckers, brambles and bracken. In the Balagne, the Nebbio and Cap Corse, holm oak forms firewood coppice among the maquis, while the eastern plain, from Aléria to Ghisonaccia, is more agricultural than wooded.
Three types of property keep coming up in listings. The first is a chestnut grove to bring back into production: an old orchard, often terraced, which the buyer will have to clear, prune and sometimes regraft before getting chestnuts or flour from it. The second is holm oak coppice, sought by local people for firewood and sold in small lots. The third is wooded land under maquis around a village or a house, bought for amenity and peace rather than for its timber. Large private forest holdings are rare, and their sale often goes by word of mouth.
Wild boar, hunted in drives from one end of the department to the other, is the game that gives Haute-Corse properties their sporting value; those sold mainly for hunting are shown with our hunting estates for sale in Haute-Corse. Water is scarce apart from coastal lagoons such as the Étang de Biguglia, a nature reserve that is not on the market; the few private ponds appear on our page of lakes and ponds for sale in Haute-Corse.
In the Castagniccia as in the Boziu, a single chestnut grove can have many heirs, scattered across mainland France or abroad. Insist on a clear title deed, the agreement of every co-owner and a boundary plan; a formal survey avoids many disputes between neighbouring terraces. Where the wooded area is under 4 ha, the seller must also notify owners of adjoining woods, who can exercise their forest right of first refusal and buy on the same terms.
Next, have the chestnut trees inspected: chestnut blight, ink disease and the gall wasp can ruin a revival project. Check real access, since many plots are reached only by old mule tracks, which makes any harvesting expensive. Fire remains the main risk: in the Balagne, the major 2005 fire around Calenzana was a reminder, and every summer the maquis burns somewhere on the island. Around buildings, brush-clearance obligations fall on the owner; in the Balagne and Cap Corse, the Littoral act and the PADDUC planning framework severely restrict building in natural areas. From 20 ha upwards, a management plan (plan simple de gestion) becomes compulsory.
On ma-propriete.fr, forests, chestnut groves and wooded land in Haute-Corse are offered by private owners, island agents and notaires. Filter them by size or price, set up an alert to hear about new listings and, if you are selling, publish your own advert. To compare with the south of the island, see forests in Corse-du-Sud or all our woods and forests for sale in Corsica.
